Okaloosa County Commissioners declared a local state of emergency in accordance with Okaloosa County Ordinance No. 91-23, as amended and Chapter 252, Florida Statutes, on April 30, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. In addition, Okaloosa County Commissioners gave Okaloosa County Public Works and the County Administrators Office authorization to provide assistance to citizens on private roads for safe ingress and egress of their property and overall evaluate public safety in efforts to restore operation in Okaloosa County.
Okaloosa County has sustained substantial damage on its roads and infrastructure. The county received 5 to 13 inches of rain and approximately 20 inches over, for the season prior to hurricane season. During the last 24-hour period, the county has fielded 672, emergency 911 calls, 128 calls for service, 44 medical emergencies, 10 submerged vehicles and 84 fire related calls.
Two shelters are open: one at the Crestview Community Center in Crestview, which currently has 7 occupants and Choctawhatchee High School is open in the south with 5 occupants. Water has begun to recede on roadways; however with this much rain and damaged infrastructure, there is the threat of aerial flood warnings as waterways continue to be impacted.
Residents are urged to be cautious and only travel if absolutely necessary. Please stay tuned to local news updates, Okaloosa County website at www.okaloosafl.com and follow us on Facebook (Okaloosa Co. Public Safety) and Twitter @OKALOOSAEOC. For more information or assistance, please call our citizens information line 311.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa commissioners declare a state of emergency